Women's 400 IM - another TI style breakthrough

[ian mac]

Congratulations to Ye Shiwen on her amazing 400 IM swim. As is common when the uncommon occurs in sports, unfortunate aspersions have been cast on her great swim. Given documented steroid use by German, Chinese, Canadian, American and athletes of many other nations in past Olympics any time something exceptional happens, there will be the skeptics who immediately hint at artificial enhancement.

As someone who still cherishes the beauty and pureness of sport and has had the good fortune to watch several friends and competitors win medals at the Olympics through a combination of sheer hard work, mental preparation and will I believe that Ye Shiwen's race is a breakthrough for swimmers.

Given Terry's constant assertion that in order to swim faster 1 of 3 things must occur: we increase propulsion, decrease drag or a combination of the above. Perhaps Ye Shiwen has developed her swimming technique in such a way through decreasing her drag that several things happened: by swimming more efficiently she was able to have more energy stores for her final 100 metre free and throughout her swim maintained higher drag co-efficients than anyone previously. Perhaps, in good ol' TI fashion, she is at the leading edge of a breakthrough to go beyond the mythical 10% efficiency. Great swim!
ian mac

[Grant]

Good for you Ian.

[ian mac]

Thanks Grant,
These amazing athletes toil in such anonymity for the most part that it is a shame that a a taint on their performances is often the norm. Why can't Dara Torres miss a gold in 2008 by 1/100th of a sec. at 41? Or Phelps/Lochte/Franklin be able to swim multiple events with aspersions on their character?

Let's face it a few will always try cheating to get ahead and miss the point. In my heart I do not believe that this is true of any of the aforementioned.
Let's take pride in all their accomplishments and learn from them.
ian mac

[CharlesCouturier]

I really like this attitude. In my opinion, and although it may appear a bit simplistic, they're not guilty until proven otherwise.

2012 marks the 20th birthday of those massive doping scandal triggered by the Chinese women's swim team (that was in Barcelona '92). Well that was then, this is now.

I do not think that YE could outperform Phelps on the Freestyle leg of her 400m IM because of some doping, but rather because she just didn't go hard enough on the 3 previous legs :)